“Deadlines and the desire to travel are what make us tick,” he says. “I’m not a particularly wealthy man and I have a desire to travel to all corners of the globe. Touring allows us to see the world and get drunk in the best bars in the world on the cheap. Also, it’s fucking punk rock, there is absolutely no reason to continually edit/ mix the songs. This type of music needs a sense of urgency. If a song doesn’t work, then move on.”
This is Spray Paint’s first trip Down Under, but they’re not coming in totally blind. Punters On A Barge will see local release thanks to Melbourne’s underground punk label Homeless Records. Over the last couple of years, Spray Paint have established connections with a couple of other acts on the Homeless roster, Deaf Wish and Cuntz.
“We met label head Richie in Memphis, Tennessee at Gonerfest in 2013,” Plump says. “Cuntz were also playing that year and we all just kind of hung out and got very drunk. We then played again together in our hometown of Austin, Texas. We stayed in touch and here we are.”
The sonic quality of Punters on a Barge is a step up from Spray Paint’s previous release; last September’s Clean Blood, Regular Acid. This is explained by a slight tweak in the band’s recording approach. “The same guy recorded both of them,” Plump says. “However [with] Punters we recorded the skeletons of the tracks in two days. If someone didn’t have a chorus part then we would just not play. Then we took the recordings into our practise space and just layered stuff and got weird with it.
“I should mention that we don’t really know how to work Pro Tools that well and early on I personally erased like ten hours of work,” he laughs. “It was a bad night. Mikey Young [Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring] mastered it and I have no idea how he made it sound so good. He is a genius.”
Aside from the occasional flourish of keyboards, bass and percussion, Punters on a Barge doesn’t deviate far from the band’s minimalist, drums, two guitars and three vocals setup. Like previous Spray Paint releases, plenty of tracks on Punters on a Barge revolve around a repetitive drum rhythm and minor guitar and vocal permutations.
“We focus on not over thinking things,” Plump says. “Pretty much every song we’ve ever written comes out of a jam. It comes to us quick and in flashes. We are usually not sober, but we record everything and sift through the garbage later. Sometimes we start with drums, for sure. Our drummer Chris is an excellent guitar player as well. We all write, and sometimes I’ll have a drum suggestion – usually less cymbals – but, you know, sometimes someone will make up a little guitar part and we’ll see where it goes.”
The fact that Spray Paint don’t have a bass player could be considered a restriction, but it opens the way for some crafty, and often percussive, dual guitar work. That said, the band’s minimalist configuration isn’t the realisation of a grand artistic vision.
“We were all in another band with a few other folks and we just stayed late after practise one night and a few songs happened,” Plump explains. “We recorded them, not planning on making a new band. [But] I like the space the drums get with no low end in the way. Also we tune our guitars pretty low.”
The majority of Spray Paint songs are distinguished by the band’s intriguing lyrics, delivered in a speak-sing manner that recalls the likes of Thurston Moore, Black Francis and Mark E Smith. The lyrical content is generally somewhat abstract, more concerned with evoking a sensation than unfurling a narrative or emotional confession.
“We take lyrics very seriously,” Plump says, “but we try to not be obvious about what we are saying. It is all about how the words look written down and how it makes you feel. It is a picture of some very ugly and nasty things this world has to offer.”
Considering the amount of time spent writing, recording, travelling and sitting in front of a computer dealing with managerial stuff, you’d think Spray Paint was a full time commitment. But – goodness knows how – the trio also hold down day jobs. However, their fortunes are currently on an upward slant.
“We are enjoying a certain amount of success,” Plump says, “but we have logged in many many hours of touring with other bands for the past ten years. I’m happy that we are doing semi-decent after not doing particularly well for a long time. It makes us appreciate it very much.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
